Bush Potato Dreaming – Yarla Jukurrpa
This Jukurrpa (Dreaming) tells about bush yams or potatoes, a food source vital to the survival of Warlpiri people in the Tanami Desert. The trees are green all year round. When the flowers bloom on the tree the women know that the potatoes are ready to be dug. The women look for long, thin cracks along the ground, made from the vines of the potato plant. The women dig where they find the cracks using digging sticks to reach the potatoes deep in the ground, sometimes more than one metre deep. The women gather them in wooden dishes, called parraja in Warlpiri. Bush potatoes are cooked on the coals, and have a sweet taste.
